October 2, 2014Controversy Only Accepted From Banksy

Photograph: Banksy, Republished in TheGuardian.com

I just read an article about how the above painting was removed from the side of a building after there had been complaints about racist graffiti. The article stated, “It has been suggested that the council did not realise that Banksy was responsible for the work before scrubbing it off the wall. Other pieces he has painted have been valued in six figures.”

So… this voice is only valid if it’s a statement coming from a known activist artist?

If this message came from an unknown artist (which, of course, Banksy was trying to be at first), does that change its validity or its significance within a cultural context? To me, no. But to a great many others, this is just paint marring a wall until someone tells them, “This is valuable.” Even then, the value is not in the message; it’s in the dollar signs attributed to the artist. Unfortunately.